Let's try and keep this on topic.

High Five for sneaking in a total recall refrence.. Lets ask Arnold this question

Short answer is NO

Arnold smokes both Cuban and Non-Cuban cigars, all of which tend to have one thing in common: they are all silly expensive.

are non-vintage regular production cubans really that much more expensive than good NCs? Like say a brown label Tatuaje which is around $10 a stick average I'd say.

I was specifically talking about Governor Schwarzenegger's cigar choices, maybe you should ask him.

Sorry... I was unaware the Governator discussed his smoking preferences with you directly


and apparently you didn't catch the sarcasm in my previous post :-)

I don't think James meant to chop your quote up. And for what it's worth, while the Governator may smoke NC"S that are "silly expensive", most non-vintage cubans are not, which I believe is James point.

I know people who smoke with him regularly, thats what they tell me.

excellent observation to my intent, Vic :-)

I apologize, I was a bit too quick to judge in my original response, which is why I changed my response.

I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt that he might not be intentionally trying to play games or be a dick and there might be a more reasonable explanation.

Would it be safe to say that most people are not comparing apples to apples in this discussion? I mean, in most conversations that I have had on this topic the discussion usually ends up comparing a $10-$20 NC to the average $3-$5 cc. What does this tell me. It tells me that on average cc's are a far more superior cigar to the nc for the money.

I agree that cc's tend to have more issues with construction but only at the lower end cigars such as HdM PE's, RyJ Mille Fleurs, Party Shorts etc. The premium cc's in the $10-$20 range don't have construction issues anymore than the premium nc's.

If we compared both cc's and nc's in the average price range of $5/stick there would be no doubt in my mind what I would be taking. The cc all day long.

BTW, I don't think Arnold smokes anything that costs less than about $20-25/cigar.

As for the rest of us, meh, whatever you like, you smoke. I've never gotten into the is "such-and-such" a $10 NC better than a "this or that" $7 Cuban debate, or vice-versa at $7 and $10, or whatever, so I'm not going to start now. I think it's a silly argument.

This is not an argument but rather a discussion.

I find this thread amazing. It seems to me that nothing brings out the knives faster than the old "NC v. CC" debate, er, discussion. This thread is continuing in that long and predictable tradition.

To me, the best cigar, at any price, is the one you like. Knowing that others like a cigar that you can't stand doesn't make that cigar a better fit for you or you an inferior chooser of cigars. In the end, you have to smoke the cigar, so it actually a deeply personal experience based on taste and enjoyment and all the many, many factors that affect that. In the end, like or dislike of a cigar is subjective and in the moment. It should not be up for a vote, IMO.

It doesn't matter if massive numbers of people post about liking one over the other. In the end, it is all about what the smoker likes at the moment. If the cigar currently lit isn't doing it, well, then it is an inferior cigar, no matter how many times the same box has yielded stellar results in the past. That's the beauty of this little hobby - something new around every bend in the river.

I also like that I can sit around with someone smoking grape swisher sweet and one smoking a 1492 and we can all enjoy our smokes and have a great time just reveling in our cigar. We are all equal - just sitting around smoking what makes us happy.

I encourage everyone to expand their palates and try something new. Who knows, you might find something you like. It may be a CC or an NC, but if it doesn't do it for you, please don't try to take away the enjoyment of those for whom it is a good cigar. It is only being polite.

:-) You roll with an interesting crowd, my friend! :-)

They are just a different taste...nothing can replace it...but there are NC's just as good if not better IMO. I love and appreciate it all. :-)

Greg and Joe are right. For the most part a 5 dollar CC will outperform a 15 dollar NC. The Cuban blends tend to be smoother and much more complex, and honestly to combat that most NC cigars are just over the top strong. Not something i look for in a cigar.

Opinions vary. :-)

Smoke what you like, like what you smoke.

:-) I don't know.